The 33rd annual V.M.A.s follow a tense political summer, and arrive just days after Donald Trump signed a directive reinstating a ban on transgender people in the military on Friday. In a remarkably rapid response, MTV invited six transgender military members to walk the red carpet Sunday night.

Billboard had the exclusive details on the soldiers ahead of the show; the group includes Sterling James Crutcher, Air Force Airman First Class; Logan B. Ireland, Air Force Staff Sergeant; Akira Wyatt, Navy Corpsman Petty Officer 3rd Class; Brynn Tannehill, Former Navy Lt. Commander; Laila Ireland, Retired Army veteran; and Jennifer Peace, U.S. Army Captain.

Peace spoke to Vanity Fair earlier this summer about her frustrations with the Trump administration’s treatment of the transgender community, when Trump had first announced his plans to reinstate the ban via a tweet.

“How do you feel safe if we can take a class of people that have been serving openly and serving honorably and say, ‘You can’t serve anymore’?,” she told V.F. “Then who’s next? Is it gays and lesbians? Is it women? Blacks? Muslims? Atheists? At any moment, it might be you that’s told you’re not qualified to serve any longer, either.”

Trump’s directive on Friday gives attorney Defense Secretary Jim Mattis until February 21, 2018, to submit a plan implementing the new policy, per Politico.

“Historically, the V.M.A.s have been a huge platform for social issues that are currently happening, so being able to have that platform and share our stories is important to us,” Laila Ireland told Billboard about walking the V.M.A.s red carpet on Sunday. “We don’t just represent our own stories, we represent all the stories that can’t be told, voices that can't be heard, and I think it’s very important to share that.”

Get Vanity Fair’s Cocktail Hour

Our essential brief on culture, the news, and more. And it's on the house.

Brynn Tannehill

Rank/branch of military: Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy. In the reserves until July 1, 2017Hometown: Phoenix, AZProudest moment: “All the years of training and dedication came together for me in those moments where I was there for my shipmates when they needed me the most. They survived because we were there.”Biggest misconception: “The idea that it’s too expensive to retain transgender service members is laughable to me. It costs more to replace two highly trained transgender service members than to provide health care for every last one of them.”

Photo: Photograph by Justin Bishop.

Allyson Robinson

Rank/branch of military: Captain, U.S. ArmyHometown: Scranton, PAProudest moment: “Taking command of my first platoon after I graduated from West Point. Leading American soldiers is the single greatest honor I’ve ever received.”Biggest misconception: “People often assume I joined the Army to ‘make a man out of myself.’ I didn’t. I joined the Army out of a sense of gratitude for all I’d been given by this country.”

Photo: Photograph by T.J. Kirkpatrick.

Kristin Beck

Rank/branch of military: Senior Chief, U.S. Navy SEALsHometown: Wellsville, NYProudest moment: “I saved the life of an Afghanistan man in the middle of chaos. I also saw him later on and was able to have tea with him.”Biggest misconception: The idea that this is a new issue. “Transgender people have been serving since the Revolutionary war, and most of us don’t cost a thing.”

Photo: Photograph by T.J. Kirkpatrick.

Blake Dremann

Rank/branch of military: Active Duty Navy Lieutenant CommanderHometown: St. Louis, MOProudest moment: “The day I qualified in submarines and was pinned with my dolphins.”Biggest misconception: “We are obsessed with transitioning and cannot function or do our jobs. Many transgender service members are at the top of their game and they only get better when they are allowed to transition.”

Photo: Photograph by T.J. Kirkpatrick.

Laila Ireland

Rank/branch of military: Retired Army Corporal, worked as a Health-care Management Administration Specialist
Hometown: Waipahu, HI
What is your proudest moment in the service? “Knowing that the solider was going to be able to go home to their family was and is always the most satisfying part of my career.”
What is the biggest misconception you’d like to correct? “The most common one in my opinion is that transgender people are incapable of fulfilling a duty because they are mentally unstable. In order to serve in these roles, you have to be mentally sound.”

Photo: Photograph by T.J. Kirkpatrick.

Jacob Eleazer

Rank/branch of military: Captain, Kentucky National Guard. Currently serving in the 198th Military Police Battalion as the Senior Human Resources OfficerHometown: Lexington, KYProudest moment: “Being selected as T.A.C. (Teach, Assess, Counsel) officer of the year. It meant a lot to me to know that both my soldiers and command thought so well of my work, even as the Army was processing me for involuntary discharge due to being transgender.”Biggest misconception: “That being transgender is the most important part of who we are. I am proud to be a transgender man, but when it comes down to it, I am a commissioned officer in the United States Army.”

Photo: Photograph by Jacob Roberts.

Logan Ireland

Rank/branch of military: Active Duty Sergeant in the U.S. Air ForceHometown: Flower Mound, TXProudest moment: “To be fortunate enough to see the policy change for transgender military members like myself. To see my brothers and sisters no longer have to serve in silence is a humbling experience.”Biggest misconception: “We only want to serve in the military to have our transitions paid for. At no point is my military service about me; it’s about those who came before me.”

Photo: Photographed by Matthew Mahon.

Brynn Tannehill

Rank/branch of military: Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy. In the reserves until July 1, 2017Hometown: Phoenix, AZProudest moment: “All the years of training and dedication came together for me in those moments where I was there for my shipmates when they needed me the most. They survived because we were there.”Biggest misconception: “The idea that it’s too expensive to retain transgender service members is laughable to me. It costs more to replace two highly trained transgender service members than to provide health care for every last one of them.”

Photograph by Justin Bishop.

Allyson Robinson

Rank/branch of military: Captain, U.S. ArmyHometown: Scranton, PAProudest moment: “Taking command of my first platoon after I graduated from West Point. Leading American soldiers is the single greatest honor I’ve ever received.”Biggest misconception: “People often assume I joined the Army to ‘make a man out of myself.’ I didn’t. I joined the Army out of a sense of gratitude for all I’d been given by this country.”

Photograph by T.J. Kirkpatrick.

Kristin Beck

Rank/branch of military: Senior Chief, U.S. Navy SEALsHometown: Wellsville, NYProudest moment: “I saved the life of an Afghanistan man in the middle of chaos. I also saw him later on and was able to have tea with him.”Biggest misconception: The idea that this is a new issue. “Transgender people have been serving since the Revolutionary war, and most of us don’t cost a thing.”

Photograph by T.J. Kirkpatrick.

Blake Dremann

Rank/branch of military: Active Duty Navy Lieutenant CommanderHometown: St. Louis, MOProudest moment: “The day I qualified in submarines and was pinned with my dolphins.”Biggest misconception: “We are obsessed with transitioning and cannot function or do our jobs. Many transgender service members are at the top of their game and they only get better when they are allowed to transition.”

Photograph by T.J. Kirkpatrick.

Jennifer Long

Rank/branch of military: Army Sergeant Major, retired in 2012Hometown: Jersey City, NJProudest moment: “My service in Afghanistan in 2010–2011. I was awarded the French National Defense Medal, the first American to receive that medal since World War II.”Biggest misconception: “Expensive, complicated surgeries would make them non-deployable or [reduce their] effectiveness.”

Photograph by Justin Bishop.

Sheri Swokowski

Rank/branch of military: Colonel, U.S. Army. Retired December 4, 2004, after 35 years of service.Hometown: Manitowoc, WIProudest moment: “I was the first woman to (legitimately) wear an infantry uniform after my DD 214 was changed to reflect my authenticity. I wore that uniform at [a] Pentagon Pride Event and [the] White House Pride month reception in June 2015.”Biggest misconception: “Some people, particularly the older generation, believe trans individuals are mentally ill. Being transgender is a medical condition, no different than someone suffering from diabetes or heart disease. All medical conditions are deserving of treatment.”

Photograph by Kevin Miyazaki.

Jennifer Peace

Rank/branch of military: Active Duty Army Soldier, Intelligence OfficerHometown: Houston, TXProudest moment: “The day I took command of a company. It was something I had given up hope on ever doing after deciding to transition, assuming that my career would be over.”Biggest misconception: “I think what it all comes down to is this stereotype people have of who trans people are. Once you work with someone and know someone personally, it breaks those stereotypes down.”

Photograph by Robbie McClaran.

Laila Ireland

Rank/branch of military: Retired Army Corporal, worked as a Health-care Management Administration Specialist
Hometown: Waipahu, HI
What is your proudest moment in the service? “Knowing that the solider was going to be able to go home to their family was and is always the most satisfying part of my career.”
What is the biggest misconception you’d like to correct? “The most common one in my opinion is that transgender people are incapable of fulfilling a duty because they are mentally unstable. In order to serve in these roles, you have to be mentally sound.”

Photograph by T.J. Kirkpatrick.

Jacob Eleazer

Rank/branch of military: Captain, Kentucky National Guard. Currently serving in the 198th Military Police Battalion as the Senior Human Resources OfficerHometown: Lexington, KYProudest moment: “Being selected as T.A.C. (Teach, Assess, Counsel) officer of the year. It meant a lot to me to know that both my soldiers and command thought so well of my work, even as the Army was processing me for involuntary discharge due to being transgender.”Biggest misconception: “That being transgender is the most important part of who we are. I am proud to be a transgender man, but when it comes down to it, I am a commissioned officer in the United States Army.”

Photograph by Jacob Roberts.

Logan Ireland

Rank/branch of military: Active Duty Sergeant in the U.S. Air ForceHometown: Flower Mound, TXProudest moment: “To be fortunate enough to see the policy change for transgender military members like myself. To see my brothers and sisters no longer have to serve in silence is a humbling experience.”Biggest misconception: “We only want to serve in the military to have our transitions paid for. At no point is my military service about me; it’s about those who came before me.”